#first thing i write has gotta be hawkeyes

[mastcrmarksman]

@purplearchcr ⸻ "Would you still love me if I was a worm?"

Any average day with New York when there wasn't say a forty foot threat stomping through the Hudson or Rhino rampaging on the corner of 3rd and east 23rd; there was more than marginally chance you'd walk alongside the Avengers in their civvies. It's normal, nothing to gawk at, unless you were tourist. Now walking alongside said Avengers you might expect to overhear conversations such as how Kang's a little bitch, Mars is being invaded, or what any normal maladjusted individual would ask their best friend too early in the morning.

Not that he thinks Kate was maladjusted, she may be better off than most of them. She's lucky like that, he has tried to teach her and protect over the years. Even if the reality is she learns from his mistakes and definitely don't do thats than his dos. However, as she breaks their mostly peaceful people watching in Central with WOULD YOU STILL LOVE ME IF I WAS A WORM? Clint rethinks the thought of Kate's adjustment to the world around them. ❝ Really, this early into my second coffee? ❞

He turns his head over to see her phone in her hand again, and here he though people watching was going to keep her well entertained today. ❝ A worm's like the equivalent of a subway rat. ❞ He says, not missing a beat, as he takes a sip of his coffee. A pause for the next beat, as he grins against his coffee cup. ❝ So are you saying you're a subway rat? ❞

Now that he waits for, almost expects for her to bap in the arm with some gusto, or fling something at him. It's earned, he did just call her a subway rat in her words in his defense. ❝ You don't one of those COSMO website things, is it COSMO these days? ❞ That leaves her with an opening about his age, divert, divert, divert!

❝ You're already a worm - ❞ He gestures to himself, given he's here spending his afternoon with her. Yes, he loves her. ❝ Use your hawkbrain. ❞

[tojisth3rdwife]

📺BuzzWord Celebrity Game: 10 for 10 with Gifted Curse!📺

Choso: "Hey guys, it’s Chosen here with Toji, Kuna, and Guru! Together, we make up Gifted Curse, and today we’re about to play '10 for 10' with BuzzWord! Let’s get it!" *points to camera*

Rules: Each member will take turns pulling tiny scrolls with questions from this fishbowl. The goal is to answer 10 questions in under 10 minutes. If they fail, they will have to pull a dare from the Dare Box. If they succeed, they get to pull a prize from the Prize Box.

Sukuna steps up to the bowl first.

Toji: "Age before beauty, right?"

Sukuna: *flips Toji off but his finger is blurred out*

Sukuna: “alright…If your band were a superhero team, what would each member's superpower be?”

Toji: "Oh, that’s easy!"

Suguru: *playfully shushes him* "Let’s hear it!"

Sukuna: "Well, Toji’s power would be him talking people to death. He’s good at that. Uhhh… Choso would be telepathic or have the ability to manipulate people's emotions. He’s probably the most intuitive person I know. And Guru?" *turns to Suguru, squinting thoughtfully* “A sharpshooter. Like Deadshot or Hawkeye”

Suguru: “why tho?” *chuckles*

Sukuna: “Because you don’t miss.” *mimes writing with a pen*

All: ooooh

Sukuna: *nods* “I know, I’m good at this!”

Suguru’s turn.

Suguru: “What’s the weirdest thing a fan has ever given you?”

Suguru: “Hmm… I mean, we get a lot of underwear when we’re on stage, but I can’t say that’s strange, right? Isn’t that just a given when you’re in a band?”

Toji: “it is..” *nods*

Choso: it happens

Suguru: “Yeah, so maybe that? I dunno..But I do remember one night at a show in Chicago. We’re in the middle of our set, and out of nowhere, the biggest pair of panties hits me in the face, bounces off, and ends up hanging off the pegs of my guitar. I didn’t notice until the song was over.”

Choso: “I remember that!” *laughs*

Suguru: ”uh huh…I still have em too. The fan signed them and wrote some very nice things. So… at least there wasn’t a bottom-heavy woman or man missing their panties that night. Plus they were clean so..I appreciated that.”

Toji: how you know?

Choso’s turn.

Choso: “What’s your go-to karaoke song when you’re not performing?”

Choso: “Aw man… I don’t really do karaoke.”

Suguru: “Never?”

Choso: “Nah. I didn’t get out much when I was just a regular person. But I do know a song that I’ll just bust out and sing randomly. Toji knows it too.”

Toji: *lifts his brows* “I do?”

Choso: “You do! Because we sing the parts. I don’t know who it’s by, but I know all the words because it played so much in the house I grew up in. It’s crazy.”

Suguru: “Well, what song is it? How does it go?”

Choso: “Aw man, I gotta sing it?”

Toji: “You might as well! You brought it up!”

Choso: “Dang… okay, um…*looks at ceiling as if hes trying to remember* ‘You're contagious… touch me, baby, give me what you got…’”

Toji: *starts grinding* “Seeexy lady, drive me crazy! Drive me wild!”

Choso: *also grinding* “See!? I told you you knew it!”

Suguru: what are yall even dancing to?

Sukuna: “Yall funny” *chuckles*

Toji’s turn.

Toji: “If you could be any mythical creature, which one would you choose and why?” *grunts and laughs to himself*

Toji: “Ooh, I know. What’s the thing where the upper body is a dude, and the bottom half is like a horse?”

Choso: “A centaur?”

Toji: *winks and points at Choso* “Yeah, that one. That’s me!”

Suguru: *smiles with a wrinkled nose* “Why?”

Toji: *looks at the camera and winks again*

Sukuna: *is the first to get it and busts out laughing, playfully shoving Toji’s shoulder* “Ughhh man.”

Toji: “Next question!” *winks for the third time*

Sukuna’s turn again.

Sukuna: “If you could have any animal as a band mascot, what would it be?”

Sukuna: “Toji.”

Choso and Suguru start laughing while Toji just smiles.

Toji: “I’ve just been catching strays all day… it’s cool.”

Sukuna: *laughing* “Because you just make it too easy.” *nudges Toji playfully*

Toji: “Uh-huh.”

Sukuna: “Aw, come on, man, don’t start pouting!”

Toji: “I’m not! It’s cool! Wouldn’t be the first time somebody accused me of being an animal.” *looks at the camera, smooches the air, and winks again*

Suguru: *looking at him incredulously* “What does that even mean?”

Sukuna: “ANYWAY.. Ummm… I think some type of bird would fit us. Like a bird of prey. Maybe a crow or a vulture… some dark *cuss*.”

Suguru: *claps* “Good answer… that’s a good answer..”

The timer goes off.

Toji: “Damn!”

Choso: “Wait, that was 10 minutes?! How?”

Sukuna: “Time flies when you’re talking *cusses*”

Suguru: *snaps his fingers*

Host behind the camera: “Okay, since you guys didn’t answer 10 questions, one of you has to choose a dare from the Dare Box.” *places box on table*

They play rock-paper-scissors, and Choso loses.

Choso: *walks up to the Dare Box with Toji slapping and rubbing his shoulders teasingly*

Toji: lets go champ. Daddy aint raise no punk

Choso: *makes a face and looks at Toji but shrugs off the comment* ok..i can do this. *hesitates*

Sukuna: today would be great

Choso: *puts his hand in the box, mixing the scraps of paper around before picking one*

Suguru rests his chin on Choso’s shoulder to see the dare while Toji leans over his other shoulder to do the same.

Choso: “Eat the hottest chip in the world and close the segment out… wait, hottest chip in the… NO!” *sees the producer handing him the viral spicy chip challenge in the coffin-shaped box*

Toji: *grimaces because its common knowledge that he hates spicy things*

Suguru: ooh ive seen that. That *cussing* is no joke.

Sukuna: *smirking*

Choso: “Oh god..oh god…im scared” *carefully opens the box and sniffs the chip, snorting* “WHEEEEW…”

Toji: “Ugh, I smell it too…HELL naw..ugh…” *swaps places with Sukuna*

Sukuna: man eat the chip!

Suguru: *snickering*

Choso: “Okay!… okay… I can do this. *picks up chip carefully, sniffs it again then gags* Oh *cuss*.. I'm from Tennessee. We eat hot *cuss* all the time. This is nothing..Just one chip.” *shrugs, then pops the chip into his mouth and starts chewing vigorously*

Choso: *pants and chews* “Ugh…”

Toji: *face stuck in a grimace*

Sukuna: *grinning with amusement*

Choso: *fighting for his life, tapping his fist on the table and chewing vigorously*

Choso: Agh! Its so bad..*cusses*

Suguru: “Nah, you’re supposed to be talking, fam— not gasping. Close us out…” *pats his back*

Choso: “Gaaah… ick.” *blinks, teary-eyed* “Okay. *LOUD CUSS*, sorry. Um… Gifted Curse new album dropping December 25th, so go to the link in our Instagram bio to presave it. Ugh, oh god… it gets worse when I talk… uh… show it lots of love. The Journey Documentary will be available to watch on Prime January 6th.. Be sure to like this video and subscribe to BuzzWord so you can see more videos like this. I am Chosen. We are Gifted Curse. I’m about to go drink some milk… good day…”

Choso walks off camera, and can be heard dying in the distance.

Suguru goes after him while Toji gives one last wink/peace combo to the camera before leaving.

Sukuna: *sniffing the hot chip box* “Can I try one too?”

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[johanna-swann]

Having seen the Daredevil Born Again trailer I gotta say: I don't think my previous worries will be proven right.

I was mostly worried that they'd miss the tone and make the reboot too Disney. After we saw Fisk in Hawkeye dressed like that and after they first re-introduced Matt in She-Hulk of all shows I was seriously worried the reboot would suck. There were rumors about writers being fired and rehired, there wasn't much info about returning supporting characters, then there's the "Born Again" title.

In general the new show seems to have a very serious, dark and violent tone matching the previous Netflix seasons really well, but as far as I understand the Born Again run was what season 3 of the Netflix show was based on, yes? And then they also use it as source material for the reboot / season 4? Still interested in how that will play out. But yeah, in general the vibes are on point.

Plotwise, Matt seems to have stopped his vigilante activities again which one could call repetitive, but I think it makes sense. He quit being Daredevil after Elektra died and the Nelson and Murdock firm broke up due to his and Foggy's conflict about vigilantism. In Defenders he briefly came back because the enemy he fought in season 2, the Hand, had resurfaced and he thought he might be able to save Elektra. Then in season 3 he only reclaimed the Daredevil identity because Fisk was back. Both times he had specific reasons to come back, he didn't just feel like putting the mask back on again. He knows it's dangerous and that often enough the people he cares about suffer the consequences.

Now I personally got the impression that the ongoing corruption within NYPD, the FBI and the Justice system in general paired with the success of putting Fisk away a second time provided the perfect set-up for Matt to go back to being Daredevil for non-specific, principled reasons and with his friends' blessing too.

The new trailer tells us that then something happened. "A line was crossed." and Matt as a result hung up the mantle again. (I assume Matt's moonlighting got someone killed. He's a vigilante with a no kill rule, this is definitely something that would shake him up.) But now Fisk is back and he is Mayor. So once again we've got the same conflict, opponents and basic prerequisite: Matt vs Fisk, Fisk thinking he's actually helping the city and with the power of the system behind him, Matt fighting a corrupt system and therefore having to work outside the law. Not new, but it's a solid concept, I'm down.

(On a side note: D'Onofrio is so good, I have so so much respect for his acting skills. His portrayal of Fisk gives me the chills every time. Charlie Cox gets so much praise and it's deserved, but holy fuck. Vincent D'Onofrio everyone. One round of applause please.)

What I am worried about right no has more to do with personal preference than what I've seen from the reboot itself so far.

It's not a big secret that I did not like Karen in the Netflix series very much. She was fine in season 1, but after that they started writing her in a very hypocritical way. She starts somehow stanning the Punisher and shortly later is super upset about Matt being Daredevil. She constantly runs head first into danger, pulling other people into her mess and then blames Matt for doing the exact same thing. She accuses Matt and Foggy of keeping secrets, dangerous secrets that affect her as well, but doesn't tell them she killed Fisk's right hand man. So yeah, not a fan of that.

At the end of season 3 though the trio (Matt, Foggy and Karen) seem to be on the same page and the Matt/Karen romance could end up as a "been there, done that, it's over" thing. If the writers handle Karen better this season and these three stay platonic besties - it could be good, but I am worried especially with the theory flying around that Foggy might be dead. Without him to balance out Karen's and Matt's reckless stunts this could turn out really bad.

The other thing is that I low-key hated how much space the Punisher took up in season 2. The Punisher storyline was very much the focus of that season while Matt the protagonist and titular character was off doing something else. It's fine that they used Daredevil as a Punisher backdoor pilot, but if he is already getting his own show - why make him the main character of a different show for an entire season? This also ties into the writing around Karen in season 2 and the Defenders. I did not have fun with the Punisher storyline at all. I much would've preferred if they had given Elektra, Stick, the Hand and that entire plot more room since that was also very relevant to the Defenders crossover while the Punisher didn't need to be so closely connected to the rest of the Netflix Marvel universe.

So him being back doesn't thrill me. I hope he's just a minor character they whipped out to create a buzz in the fandom and he won't "steal" the spotlight again. There's a long, long list of other characters I would've loved to see again instead. There's Claire, the other Defenders (especially Jessica Jones), Marcy, Elektra (if Matt can survive Midland Circle collapsing ontop of him so can she), Foggy's frenemy Brett, etc. And now that Daredevil is officially in the MCU this opens up a plethora of new possibilities too.

So. I think objectively speaking the show is looking pretty solid right now, but I'm not sure it'll hit my personal sweet spot.

[artist-issues]

Some character questions for Sam Wilson!

your first impression of him?

favorite quote of his?

first thing that you think of when you think of him?

best storyline he had?

worse storyline he had

what was a moment that you really think defines him as a character?

what was his most out of character moment in canon?

I literally typed up n answer to this for Sam Yao and then realized you were talking about Falcon/Cap.

I liked him. I like anybody who respects Steve Rogers. Characters like Tony Stark or even in some cases Nick Fury, who are smart enough to see why Steve does what he does, and how it’s based in simple, humble, integrity—but then, knowing that, they still choose to treat him disrespectfully? Stark has to crack jokes and roll his eyes? Fury has to tell the guy who fought in WWII “it’s time for you to get with the program?” I hate that stuff. It’s like, “you just don’t like that he’s got a moral compass he’s been strong enough to hang on to, and you haven’t.” I even struggle with liking Bucky for the same reason. Anyway. Sam Wilson mirrors Steve’s integrity, and shows him respect, from the very first scene, without being fawning or aloof. So I really like him right off the bat in Winter Soldier.

My favorite quote of his is “You go to these people and say "sorry" because you think it'll make you feel better, right? But you gotta make them feel better. You gotta go to them and be of service.” I think the interesting thing about Sam Wilson is that he’s exactly as much a man of integrity as Steve Rogers was. Exactly as much. He’s also not insecure. He knows who he is; the whole FATWS show was about people trying to tell him who he is. “You’re a black man. You’re the new Captain America. You’re the Falcon. You’re a criminal. You’re a hero.” And trying to tell him what he should do based on those things. But he knows he’s just there to “be of service.” Which is awesome, coming from a character everyone wants to talk about “racial injustice” from the perspective of. Instead of talking about himself, he talks about how to serve others. Everyone. Not just one group. Love that. Proves that he’s got the same type of integrity as Steve—in a way that fits who Sam Wilson is, not who Steve is.

First thing I think of is this shirt I bought for my sister back when he was her favorite character in the MCU (before Peter Parker) and it has the Falcon on it and it says “I’ll Be Your Wingman.”

Best storyline he had was in Civil War. Because he can see the writing on the wall; he can see why the government is wrong for trying to control their movements; he can see why it would be wrong to pass the responsibility off to them. The exact same way Steve Rogers does. But he’s like…way less composed and quiet about it. I almost get the vibe that because Steve is taking the lead, Sam feels freer with his words, especially in a room of peers. And then when Steve passes the shield onto him, and we see him in FATWS, the vibe I get is that he’s a little less hasty to jump into action, even with his words—even when others are way out of line (like Walker.) I think you could argue that he learns that lesson in Civil War, when he dives out of the way of Vision’s beam and it hits Rhodes instead. Having a friend get hurt in a friendly-fire fight over a disagreement of morals is a good way to mellow you out, make you think more carefully about how you respond when good people disagree with your morals. Anyway. In Civil War you see that Sam is loyal to Captain America, but out of all the guys in the cell who Tony Stark could walk up and send help to Cap to…he walks up to Sam. Not Hawkeye, who would’ve been a logical choice when you’re trying to mend fences with a team member, since he’s been “part” of the team longer than Sam. But Sam is the one who helps Tony try and make amends. Because under all the righteous anger, and the “I’m not betraying the friend who trusts me, and I don’t respect you,” Sam does know that Tony Stark is ultimately a good guy, and he’s the one in that block of cells with the maturity and the big-picture foresight to give Tony a chance to go help. So. From the beginning of the movie when he’s basically just following Cap’s orders, to the end of the movie, when he has the opportunity to make one small decision for himself—I think that’s the most interesting storyline for Falcon.

I think structure-wise Falcon & Winter Soldier could’ve been handled in a way that endeared audiences to it more, instead of getting their hackles up. I don’t think it’s a bad story, I think it’s a good one. I just don’t think it’s perfectly told. So I guess that one.

I think I accidentally answered this one already, above.

I think his most out-of-character moments in-canon are actually in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier during the “joint therapy session” with Bucky. Because he’s so easily frustrated and walks out. His attitude in that scene doesn’t really match up with the guy who’s been willing, this whole time, to joke when Bucky is frustrated, or with the guy who previously led group counseling sessions for veterans. I mean, obviously you get why he’s frustrated or upset, but the whole scene he comes off as just “This is not my problem, this is your problem.” Makes up for it later when they’re tossing the shield around, though.

Thanks, I hadn’t really thought through him much as a character.

[jupitersmoon167]

hey… about that cod x marvel crossover…….

— 🎨

🎨 anon, this was my genuine reaction seeing this:

Oh boy, where do I even begin?

Okay, so I have a few ideas plot wise, both of which have to involve extreme detailing, cause in my mind I (unfortunately) can’t just smush these two fandoms together just for the hell of it. It’s gotta make sense.

And as much as I’m into incorporating the CoD:MW timeline into the MCU timeline, that’s just not as fun. So, what better way of introducing these two fandoms than thru ✨multiverse✨shenanigans?

Fair warning, I’m also incorporating aspects from the comics (in regards to Marvel) and weaving some of that into a MCU AU/canon divergence of sorts. But overall, incursions play a big role in both of my ideas. It just depends on when it occurs.

Regardless of the plot, it’ll be set Pre MWII CoD wise and Post Endgame MCU wise (we’ll just ignore the obvious yearly difference)

Regarding the MCU, there’ll be a bit of canon divergence:

- Tony doesn’t die at the end of Endgame (but he’s retired)

- Steve doesn’t fuck off to the past and stays in the present (he’s also retired and works more behind the scenes when necessary, so Sam is still Captain America)

- The ending from Far From Home doesn’t happen (I also may just scrap the events from that film entirely for reasons I can explain later)

- Secret Invasion doesn’t happen (cause let’s face it that show was an absolute dumpster fire, and I think the Taskforce would already have enough to deal with besides a terror organization consisting of shapeshifting aliens).

And depending on whether I add a certain OC (one that I’ve already introduced in the past), the story would start off Post The Marvels due to one component that was introduced in that film (a gold star to anyone who can guess what that component is).

ENOUGH EXPOSOTION

Let’s get into the plots!

My first idea was this:

So do you remember in the Hawkeye show that stuff from the Avengers Compound was stolen after it was bombed and being sold on the black market? Well after that fiasco, Clint would make Sam, Bucky and the others aware of this so they can keep an eye out for anything shady. Fast forward, and the team (thru some sort of means) finds out that some of that stuff, whether it be Stark tech, confiscated tech from the Battle of New York/Thanos’ Attack on Earth, magical artifacts, whatever it may be, has been sent to another universe. And so, to risk the event of an incursion, they travel to that universe to get all of it back.

My second idea would be a sort of Secret Wars/Battleworld type scenario where the CoD:MW and MCU universes sort of just, merge out of the blue. One moment they’re their own universes, next thing you know, an incursion like event occurs, but rather than one or both universes being destroyed, they just merge together. People from the CoD universe suddenly wake up to find that superheroes exists, gods and aliens are real, half the population was dead for a few years before coming back, and there’s apparently the corpse of a giant celestial being who emerged from the Earth’s crust now just sitting in the Indian Ocean. Meanwhile, everyone from the MCU timeline is like “fuck it, this might as well happen”.

Regardless, the Avengers cross paths with TF141 (whether it be accidentally or deliberately) and shenanigans occur.

I’ve got a lot more I can share, but this is already long enough 😅

I also might reveal details on how I think the Avengers would interact with the TF141 and the dynamics between the canon characters and my OC’s (both of which I’ll make character profiles on eventually when I’m not so busy with college classes).

Speaking of college, it’s nearly 6am as I’m writing this and I have class in a few hours 💀 so imma head to bed

[backfireddedication]

Working on the Kimblee Lives AU

But for the Kimblee lives AU to work, Kimblee would have to, in fact, need to live to be alive for the Kimblee lives AU

So

I gotta get this bitch to live AND not doom Amestris at the same time because his death enabled him to stop Pride from taking over Ed

Now, the Kimblee Lives AU is a separate branch of the Kimblee/Ingrim story. The ending of that is, of course, the canon path of Kimblee's story. His death is perfect, and changing it is objectively worsening the writing. But I'm a slut for self-indulgence, so there's a separate branch that would explore things had they lived.

Anyway

Ingrim would have to, in some way, convince Pride not to let Kimblee die. He snatches them up (idk if that's a thing he does 🤷‍♀️ I'm saying it is lmao) after yoinking Kimblee's stone out of his stomach.

From here, I could either do

1. Pride dumps them out in front of Mustang, Hawkeye, and the others. Could possibly result in Kimblee becoming human sacrifice #5 and losing his hearing (get absolutely FUCKED kimblee lmao)

Problem is, he's kind of, you know, BLEEDING OUT so that would have to be solved in some way.

Or what I'm leaning on,

2. Pride dumps them out/can't hold them any longer when he's trying to take Ed's body. Kimblee is out of commission still, but Ingrim is able to help Ed for whichever reason I pick. Ed takes down Pride. Ingrim reminds Ed that he doesn't kill people, but if he walked away, he'd be sentencing Kimblee to death, essentially.

From there, Ed finds that he can't walk away, so he helps. The only way Ed has of helping is using his own life again. He complains about that, says it's Kimblee's fault he had to the first time, now he has to do it again FOR Kimblee. So Ingrim offers up hers instead (idk if that's possible again 🤷‍♀️ but I'm saying it is anyway) because Kimblee's probably too weak to use his at that moment.

Ed does it, Kimblee is fixed (minus the blood loss, but it's fineeeee). Ed runs off, wasting enough time already.

Maybe Ed cuts Kimblee's hand again so he can't cause any trouble while everyone's busy fighting Father?

Ingrim finds she can't ignore the fight that will literally decide the fate of the country and runs off. Kimblee decides he'd like to watch the battle, maybe even join in it. It's not every day you get to test your alchemy on a god, after all.

They get to the surface. If Ed cut Kimblee's hand, Kimblee could complain that he can't join in without something to make a transmutation circle with. Which would prompt Ingrim to cut her arm to let him use her blood.

Kimblee gets to fire off some explosions. Almost everyone else would be like ?!?!, especially Hawkeye and Armstrong (and then Mustang once Hawkeye tells him what's happening lmao)

He also looks like shit at this point. The sleeves of his suit are half blown away, and from the collar down he's drenched in his own blood.

But anyway, God is dead we killed him and Kimblee and Ingrim are arrested RIP

I just like the idea because it's kind of criminal there isn't a sort of reunion between Kimblee and those he served with (Mustang, Hawkeye, and Armstrong)

[midnightluck]

unrelated to like anything this blog is about BUT in your recent post you mentioned a dick grayson fanfic. i am VERY interested in like any dc fic you couldve written ever because im in love with your writing but i can only find the one fic,, do you happen to have any thoughts/written stuff you havent posted on anything that is batman comics related ? i would be enchanted to hear you talk abt it !

Hi! Yes, I was very into the Young Justice show when it first dropped and wrote a lot for it! I never got around to crossposting it to AO3; I will, one day, I'm sure, but for now you can find a lot of Dick Grayson fic by me on my old ff.net page.

https://fanfiction.net/~midnightluck

Also, because you asked for thoughts, have an old essay:

There is no way Dick lived with Bruce and helped develop Robin without relying heavily on his circus training. Which means he used terms he knew to describe things, and Bruce would have listened and used the same words so that they could communicate better out in the field. And you know how words are, how slang and memes are; you use them a while and then they're on your tongue, thoughtless, and every family has their own little quirks.

Jason showed up, this rough little linguistics chameleon, and he just picked it up like any other language, and Tim probably knew all the Wayne family jokes before he even joined. So what Dick did unthinking, Jason did subconsciously and Tim did purposefully, and by the time it got to Damian, it was so far removed from any other frame of context he had that he probably just assumed it was code or whatever.

Long story short, you cannot convince me that any Robin does not have more than a smattering of circus slang in their vocabulary.

Which leads to a funny thought in a Marvel crossover because Hawkeye was a circus brat too; he'll get that they gotta slall the day-and-daters before they go wildcatting down the coast or whatever. Alternatively, they hear he's got a circus background or he hears them talk it or whatever and there's this moment of recognition and respect and then they try to talk and completely fucking fail because Hawkeye was in an American circus and Haley's was Romani.

[remyfire]

34, 35 and 12 caught my eye but I cannot decide who I want them for so ig whatever pairing (or poly group ) is giving u the biggest brain rot rn but bonus if it includes radar or trapper bc i am intrigued by how u write radar and i am slightly feral about the feelings trapper induces in me

Hi anon, you unlocked something in me when I read this ask, so I went for total broke and now there is radartraphawk. I really hope that's okay!! As a bonus, I have included Every Kiss. Also it's 3k and a bit angsty. I hope that's also okay. Okay no more stalling, here you go. Kiss Roulette (12) A kiss along the collar bone, (34) a kiss after a bite, (35) a kiss against a wall [AO3 crosspost]

It's certainly not the first time they've tussled and it absolutely won't be the last, but there is something particularly wild in Hawk today, and John has a feeling that it's got something to do with the wide-eyed company clerk perched anxiously on the edge of Hawkeye's cot. "Will you fuckin'—" When John's leg clips the stove and sends the empty coffee pot clanging across the floor, he grits his teeth and tightens his grip on Hawk's arms. "Will you settle the fuck down?"

"How 'bout you let me go first?" Hawkeye spits back. He'd started by straining to get free of John's hold but now he's gotten damn squirrelly, trying to turn the tide instead.

"How 'bout you stop being a little shit?"

They twist and squabble. Hawk's hip slams against the poker table. John almost goes tumbling and Radar throws his hands out just in time to push him back to his feet. It's like being in college again, surrounded by nothing but football players who didn't wanna admit they were sucking each other off in the locker room when all the lights went down and everybody else went home. He gets it. He played that game too for a hell of a lot longer than he should've. But why Hawkeye fucking Pierce is so pissed at him about what John just offered, he has no idea, because this guy's gotta be responsible for at least a million sexuality crises alone. He can barely keep his hand out of pants—any pants, his own or John's or a nurse's, probably everybody who's ever been on R&R in Seoul for the past year. Where the hell does he get off causing such a fuss?

"C-Captain." Radar's small voice comes from behind him. "I should probably just—"

John finally, finally slams Hawkeye against the locked door. He gets one moment of peace, both of them panting and glaring at each other with sweat gleaming on their foreheads, before Hawk starts up again.

"Would you sirs stop?!" Radar's louder now, piercing.

It's Boston instinct, really, that has John trying to get his forearm against Hawk's throat, and not even hard enough to do damage to his windpipe, but the moment Hawk's eyes bulge in shock, John pulls back just enough so there's no contact with his neck. "Sorry," he murmurs, chest burning with guilt. His forearm stings like he hit him with it. "Fuck, I'm so sorry, Hawk—"

Hawkeye then twists his neck and bites it.

"Fuck!" And then they're back at it again.

Metal strikes metal behind John louder than a gong and they freeze. When John looks over his shoulder, Radar's standing by the stove with the coffee pot in his hand. He wouldn't be surprised if it had a dent in it now, if he slammed them together that hard. It's rare to see Radar really properly steamed up, but there it is written all over his face from his jaw to his eyes to his brow.

"You're not listening to me," Radar mutters. "This whole thing happened 'cause of me and you're not even gonna listen when I say something?"

"Hey, look, I'm sorry, all right?" John doesn't mean to let his frustration bleed into the words, turn them into daggers, but there's no pulling them back either. "This ain't your fault, it's Hawkeye over here who—"

"You don't get to tell me what I can or can't do," Hawk snaps. "I don't care how many times your dick's been in my goddamn ass, you do not get to throw me around like a puppet when I wanna walk out that door, do you hear me?"

"Hawk, I'm not trying to tell you what to do, I'm not shoving you two together like dolls." John lets Hawkeye's shoulder go, immediately feels him starting to twist, but the second John's palm cups his cheek, Hawk freezes, jaw still tight but eyes staying on his. "I'm trying to figure out why the hell you're so spooked about saying you want something."

When Hawk finally flicks his gaze away, John lets him, just thumbs over his stubble and tries to figure out what the fuck is going on in his head. In a way, yeah, okay, he can understand something about it—the two of them weren't teasing Henry about robbing the cradle just to mess with him—but can't Hawk see that this is different? That Radar's different?

John drops his voice and leans in a little closer. He's not under the impression that Radar, of all people, won't be able to hear him, but he needs Hawk to see this, to know John's still trying to protect him no matter how much he wants to dump him in a snowbank right now. "Wasn't even a month ago you were telling me all about what he reminds you of." It's like a switch gets flipped. Hawkeye stops breathing. The air begins to heat as though a storm is ready to blow through. They both know what he means. That quiet night in the Swamp where Hawk had talked about the ways he fumbled through figuring out his own bent, the alleys and the bars and the backs of cars, how he'd taken his life in his hands over and over again just to have a taste of why looking at a man lit him on fire the way that it did. How sometimes he swears that Radar's toeing that exact same line—the curiosity that could drive him into danger made even worse by virtue of where the hell they are. That sometimes Hawkeye wishes he could just... That if he had a chance to...

John was thorough. He had to be. The same care that he took slipping through the back streets of Boston to loop his way around cops on their beats. He'd watched Hawk. He'd watched Radar. He'd seen the way they'd watch each other when they weren't being noticed themselves. The protectiveness in Hawkeye's body when he was around Radar, how he'd throw out joke after joke just to get him to smile. And within no time, John had a guarantee of what he already suspected. Yeah, sure, Hawk really had meant it when he'd finally admitted that he just wished he could make it a little easier, safer, and walk Radar through everything he was craving to know. But that wasn't the reason why Hawkeye would stare a second too long at Radar's ass when he'd strain to grab something from the back of the filing cabinet.

John's not an idiot. He's sure as hell able to overlook his own faults and fears and that's never gonna change, but he knows Hawk better than he knows his own name. And if Hawkeye wants something, then John wants him to have it, pure and simple.

"I got him here for you," John whispers. That was a whole other fucking story—overlapping his showers with Radar's over and over again until he finally caught Radar staring at his cock with dilated pupils and flushed cheeks, until John could lean over the partition and look him right in the eye and cut off the panicked stammering before it ever got started. "I got the scene set." A three-way poker game, the tent flaps dropped, the door latched, the shade pulled down, Frank cuddled up in Hot Lips's tent for the night. "I warmed him up too." Made damn sure Hawkeye was watching while John slid his fingers through Radar's hair and coaxed him in until their lips met. Made sure too that as Radar trembled with nerves, John had rubbed up and down his back until the fear fluttered away like it was never there.

And then Hawkeye had exploded. Because of course he did.

Now as Hawkeye meets John's gaze, he's slipped past anger—that rare, white-hot rage tinged with, of all things, the accusation that Trapper was taking advantage of Radar. The thing Hawk had never wondered about with any of the nurses John's bedded. Not even once.

Something's always been different about Radar.

"You know what could happen," Hawk mutters under his breath. "You know exactly what you're setting him up for."

"You'd rather it be with some stranger in the back of a Tokyo movie theater? Hawk, be fucking serious." John finally steps back, lets Hawkeye be completely free, but as he suspected, he makes no move to unlatch the door. "There's no advantage-taking goin' on here and we both know it. You wouldn't be caught dead looking at him if he weren't a grown man in your eyes, and that means he can tell you what he wants and how he wants it and you don't get to tell him he's wrong."

"Captain McIntyre?"

John stares Hawk down another moment more before he turns his attention to the cute little mouse who's found his way into their den. He's small but he's still got a few shards of broken glass in that sharp gaze of his. And he should. John's over here rattling on about how he's an adult, but did he stop what he was doing last time when Radar was demanding to be heard? With a sigh of frustration through his nose, John faces him fully. "Sorry. Don't mean to be keeping you on the outside." He'd promised himself he wouldn't. He's not so nervous of Radar's age as Hawk seems to be, but that doesn't mean he can just up and forget about how young and inexperienced he is in all this shit, not just the sex. "It wasn't supposed to go like this—"

"Captain McIntyre," Radar interrupts.

"Trapper." John almost doesn't realize that came out of him, not Hawkeye. Hawk's the one who will introduce him as Trapper, not...

"Trapper," Radar amends quietly. He comes closer, already holding out a hand with all the confidence he shows his personal petting zoo. "Sir, your arm."

A rush of lightning darts through John's veins when Radar takes his hand and rotates it to show him his forearm. Not the first time somebody's bitten down on it, but usually it's himself trying to keep quiet when Hawkeye's eating him out like he's his last meal. The teethmarks stand out quite vividly but he didn't break the skin. It'll just bruise over like it always does. "Oh, don't worry about it, Radar, s'nothing."

"It's not nothing." Radar scowls. "You got this 'cause of me, y'know."

"I got it 'cause I'm a jackass who wasn't gonna let Hawkeye storm his way into the O-Club when we..." John blinks as Radar lifts his arm. When Radar leaves a soft, gentle kiss right on the bite, John's stomach flip-flops. Fuck. He's just so...good. Every bit of him. He's not shy about doing that because he doesn't know he should be. He's standing here holding John's hand like they've been going steady for weeks rather than him stealing that first kiss tonight as a goad to his lover.

It's kind of amazing how smooth Radar's expression has gone by the time John glances back up at his face. He could be feeling nothing at all. "It's not your fault, Trapper. Really. I can tell you weren't fibbing just to play a joke or nothing, I promise." Even his words are perfectly steady. "H-He just doesn't want..."

Or not. John flicks his gaze to Hawk, but he's staring right at Radar with a furrowed brow.

"I mean, it's not a surprise or..."

John itches, doesn't think, just lets his other hand find Radar's back so he can rub it for him. It takes everything inside him to keep from pulling Radar into his arms and keeping him there until he smiles again.

Radar straightens up—like a soldier, John thinks with a boom of fury like a firework, there and gone in a flash—and clears his throat, letting go of John's hand. "Anyhow, it's not some big deal. So if it's okay with you sirs, I'm gonna, I-I'm just gonna go back and finish up some work."

The second Radar takes a step forward, Hawkeye stiffens, his arms shooting out to cover the full width of the door. Honestly, he looks shocked that he did it in the first place. But Radar peeks up at him, lips parted, and John does what he does best. He waits.

This isn't about John, except that it is, of course, because at least while they're here, Hawkeye belongs to him insomuch that John belongs to Hawkeye and neither one of them is ever going to admit it out loud. It's about John because his world revolves around Hawk's happy, his lust, his satisfaction, his rest, his everything, until one day when it won't anymore, which is a day John still refuses to let his mind focus on—it blurs over like he's nearsighted, and hell, maybe he is. It's about John because when he thinks about seeing Hawkeye and Radar tangle up naked in these scratchy green blankets, it's probably the most beautiful thing he could conceive of witnessing in the middle of their personal corner of Hell. So that's why he waits. Watches. Wonders if Hawk's finally going to let those muscles loosen until they're butter-smooth and melting from the heat.

When Hawkeye takes a long, deep breath, it's like a curtain getting pulled up to start a show he's been buzzing over for months. "You want this, Radar?"

Radar lifts his chin so he's looking Hawk right in the eye, a kind of steadiness that makes a thrum of heat flare up in John's gut. It's incredible. After all that effort to put on a brave face in the midst of rejection, all John's wanting to comfort him if he had to cry it out, he's far more confident in this decision than he'd given him credit for. "Yeah, Hawkeye," he murmurs.

"Tell me," Hawk says firmly, words like granite, like steel. "Tell me what you want."

Radar opens his mouth, closes it, then opens again. "I wanna learn what makes you feel good."

Hawk closes his eyes and bites his lips into a thin line.

"Wanna..." Radar approaches him until he stands directly in front of Hawk, just a few inches between them. John can't stop himself from visually tracing the lines of his neck, his shoulders, all so beautifully untouched by anyone. Then he can't stop himself from grazing his fingers slowly, slowly along Radar's trapezius, trying to feel him somehow through the jacket and shirts both. Radar shivers visibly, which makes John smirk, makes his mouth water, all the fascination that made him great at science before he was ever in medical school. "Wanna... I wanna touch you all over." He turns his head but doesn't fully peek over his shoulder before he snaps his gaze back on Hawk. "Both of you."

Both.

John can't actually say he's surprised, not really, not after the shower situation, but there's a jolt straight to his cock all the same. Hawk is so lithe. Beautiful. He's a goddamn perfect first try at fucking around with a man. John? He can sometimes sink into the background when he's near Hawkeye. He thinks he might be able to take advantage of that right now, but when John rests one hand on Radar's hip, he grins at the gasp he gets before he murmurs near his ear. "How 'bout we start you off with Hawk, see how you like it."

"Yeah," Radar whispers, then lets out a shivery groan.

"You want I should show you how to make him come?" John's words are husky, lush.

That makes Hawkeye and Radar whimper in tandem, a gorgeous little duet that John suddenly wants to hear every second he can. Radar tips his head back and stares up at him, and the longer he looks, the more red his cheeks turn. Another spark on the smoldering fire inside John. "I'll bet you're real good at it, aren't you, sir?" And there's a roughness to his tone just the same.

John's lips quirk as he takes one step closer, bringing his body flush against Radar's back, urging him to press against Hawk, to trap him there at the door. "Like you ain't ever heard him moaning for me with those ears'a yours."

"I wasn't snooping," Radar blurts exactly like a snooper would.

"Ah-huh." Hawkeye grins—his first since this whole damn thing started. As Hawk slides his hands into the valley of his soft waist, a sound as delicate as a snowflake comes out of Radar and draws a hum from Hawk in turn, one of those that John's used to hearing right against his ear when he's damn satisfied with what he just reduced John to. "Radar..." The moment Radar looks up at him, Hawk seems to hesitate, and John watches the goosebumps skitter down his throat. "...how d'you wanna kick us off, huh?"

Radar only waits another second before he comes up ever so slightly on his toes to brush his lips over Hawkeye's collarbone through his shirt. He steadies himself with a hand on Hawkeye's ribs, right where John knows he won't miss the way he's beginning to breathe too hard from this barest possible graze. "Can I see you, Hawkeye?" Radar asks with such sincerity and naked want that John instinctively reaches to give him exactly what he needs, gets a fist of Hawk's hem before he freezes.

John glances up. Waits for Hawkeye to look at him with that burning, dripping lust, hot enough to melt through the floor like lava. And then John touches Radar's other wrist and coaxes him to grab Hawkeye's shirt instead. "Go on. He wants it."

"You want it, Hawk?" Radar asks as though to be absolutely sure, and though John's certain that it's a legitimate question, somehow it's practically filth when it comes from him.

"Fuck..." Hawkeye nods. "Yeah, yeah, Radar, I do. I want you bad."

Radar shivers with a little laugh as he pushes Hawk's shirt up little by little, reaching high to pull it over his head. "Then I'll treat you real good."

The rush of arousal hardens John to the breaking point, makes him so hungry that he can't stop himself from pressing his cock into Radar's back as he leans in to kiss Hawkeye ruthlessly. Hawk whines against John's mouth and scrapes his nails across his scalp, shaking, shivering, and John takes one quick glance to make sure Radar's okay—he's kissing over Hawkeye's chest like he's never wanted to do something so bad in his whole life—before he finally gives in and lets every ounce of his desire bruise Hawk's lips.

[hballegro]

6, 17 and 27 for the ao3 wrapped game! <3

the ao3 wrapped list

6. Favourite title you used

This one was an easy one; it helps that I've only got a pool of 4, but my queap fic Things Bloom Up There has gotta be number 1. I spent ages digging through thematically-relevant poems, determined to have a referential title that tied into the theme, and nearly just stealing 'Good Night, Dear Heart' despite that being a name of an episode of queap already. Then I happened upon On Squaw Peak, talking about the impermanence of seasonal joys [flowers, especially] and the simplicities of life in the light of losing an unborn child, and the second to last line, 'Things bloom up there', made me go 'ah yeah alright this is the one, yeah'.

Dirigo, Eureka gets a special mention because 'i lead, i have found it' being a BJ and Hawkeye fic is just yummy. Finding out that their respective state mottos fit their personalities and fit together somewhat was yummy.

17. Favourite character to write this year

To be 100% honest, it's a real tossup between BJ Hunnicutt and Sam Beckett! BJ has been a delight because of the sort of manic energy he has going on in the background thats very easy to express in his POV sections, but is almost entirely veiled in his speech and chapters that aren't from his perspective. He's a horrible freak that i enjoy putting under a microscope, and apparently love making him cry cause its happened like 6 times across 2 fics so. Might even happen in the crossover fic so he cries MORE.

And for Sam, there's a lot of that same emotional depth, but way different, and less... not less complex but its less inward anger with himself and his situation and more a never-ending optimism and hope, despite dire moments. Steadfast, plain dialogue, talks pretty much how I talk so it comes easy to write his dialogue, easy to bounce him off of people. Just a gem.

27. What do you listen to while writing?

Frankly its a mess at all times lol. My preference is generally whatever I'm currently writing, I pick something thematic. Like for Things Bloom Up There, I listen to a lot of Lullaby (Goodnight, My Angel) and similar sad-sounding slow songs to match the theme of parental love, but sad. For That's Just It, Then, Isnt It?, it varies widely by chapter, but a lot of songs from my Dirigo, Eureka playlist were picked and chosen, especially with Fourth of July for the tent scene [and also for the first chapter of Dirigo, Eureka]. Operating in Limbo is the most varied, mostly just whatever I had picked out the most recently, though I did put on a lot of Ethel Cain while writing the OR scene to give me the right Upset vibes lol.

Overall- mostly slow, sad things. Like the rest of my music taste. But with a purpose! Either I need fast words all the time or low-energy altogether, anything between those poles distracts me, and instrumental does not work well for my goofy brain.

[scienceoftheidiot]

Prompts? Snippets? Love while ao3 is down? Maybe some badass Ed after he lost his alchemy? Something self-indulgent?

Aaahh thank you !

So I don't write much Ed BUT I was actually planning to have exactly that (Ed being badass after he lost his alchemy) in a Royai fic. Except the fic is in two parts, and this would be the second part, and first part is not posted yet because not finished yet xD

Soooo I guess this counts as a snipper even if I wrote it just now (thanks!)

Spoiler warning for an upcoming fic of mine, I guess, I'll add more context under the cut, I'm sorry about this, I still hope you like this and Ed is badass enough 😁

So the fic is an AU where Roy stays blind after Promised Day, the stone doesn't work/Truth refuses to heal him. He's thus dismissed from the army, but is asked for his help (new powerful alchemy !) by Scar and Miles. Roy being Roy he jumps on the occasion (doesn't work that well of course but that's another story).

Anyway, second part, Roy asks for Ed's help : Ed knows alchemy, even if he can't practice it anymore, it'll be far easier for him to take soil samples and do reconnaissance alone, Ed is restless in Resembool and Roy doesn't want to show himself too much in Ishval. Except to actually use alchemy he needs to be there.

So here they are :

"Fuck, why did I agree to this."

"Change the record, Fullmetal. You've said this over fifty times since we boarded the train."

"Wouldn't have had to suffer the train if you'd let me drive."

"My car, my rules. Only one person gets to drive it, and it's not you. Now, where --"

"Well at least it's not you either."

"Thanks for that, Fullmetal. Where is --"

"Stop calling me that. That's my state alchemist name. No alchemy, no alchemist name. And above all, I am not a dog of the military anymore, Colonel."

"Well, me neither, so you can ditch the Colonel. Where's the damned field, Edward?"

"You're walking on it, Mustang."

"Ah."

Roy sighed and shook his head, then crouched, placing his hand on the ground. The dirt was dry, flaky. Not sandy -- that was a bit of improvement, at least -- but it did feel barren.

"How does it look?"

"Like nothing. Just dirt and stones, all the way until the cliff. It's half collapsed, by the way. Doesn't look like anything has ever grown on there."

Roy got up and brushed his pants.

"Registers say it was an orange tree orchard, before the war."

Finally, Fullmetal -- Edward, call him Edward -- fell silent.

For a short while.

"You're sure? There's not even a tree trunk."

"If you can read a map, then yeah. I guess the last bits were scavenged as firewood by survivors. Or else it was burnt to ashes."

"Did you --"

"I don't know. It's possible. I have been to these parts. But I've burnt a lot of places, and the name didn't ring a bell. Can't use visual cues to trigger my memory, so I can't tell you."

Ed stayed silent, until he growled.

"I don't understand how you can speak so lightly of this."

Roy shrugged.

"Thought you'd be used to that, after all this time. Now, shall we get to work, or ...?"

"Fine." Silence fell again for a little while, and Roy could have thought Ed was pouting, if he didn't hear him rummage through his things.

"So, about the samples I had collected during my last trip here. Your notes say the dirt lacks a great deal of accessible nitrogen and phosphorus to be able to grow anything. By the way, I'm glad you're using Hawkeye for this. Reading your chicken scratch has always been a struggle."

"Says the right handed boy who wrote his reports with his left. This was the fastest way. And you know her last name is not Hawkeye anymore, don't you?"

"I'm never calling her that. She's too good for it."

Roy scoffed.

"Gotta tell her that. Okay," he frowned. "What was in there, then?"

"Silica. Ammonia. Wait, doesn't ammonia contain --"

"You didn't read the notes before we came here, did you? It's about the availability. Most plants can't do anything with ammonia. Usually you'd try and plant specific ones who will make it into a useful nitrogen compound, using fungal symbiosis. But we don't have time for that, it'll take years. And those need a lot of good irrigation, which we don't have."

"You become a botanist, lately?"

"I've had a lot of free time. And my wife has the most beautiful reading voice."

Roy heard Ed choke on a groan, and smirked.

Ed ranted again : "You're the all powerful alchemist, now. Why not pull humidity straight from the air and water it this way?

"I'll do it to kickstart it, but this is not feasible long term. You want me to stay here and play sprinkler all summer? I hope you are bulletproof. Riza would never --"

As if on cue, something that was definitely a gunshot rang, and Roy was violently pushed to the ground. Roy coughed in the dirt, trying to push himself back up, only for Ed to crush him back down as new shots fired.

"Don't move, moron, we're being shot at, from up front. The cliff."

Fullmetal was half laying on him, his left leg crushing Roy's right. Damn was that automail heavy.

Adrenalin kicking in -- he realized he was getting back to his old self, panic being only a buzz at the back of his mind -- Roy thought fast. He was supposed to protect them both. He was the one who could. He wriggled to free his arms, clapped, and slammed his hands to the ground, hiding them behind a wall he hoped would be thick enough to stop bullets. And set in the right direction.

Gunfire kept raining against it.

"Can you see them?"

Roy was free of Edward's weight, and he heard him shuffle, close.

"Ishvalans. Seems like there's only two of them, and they look like kids."

"Yeah, I bet. They're wasting ammunition like crazy, there. Tell me. Where are they, precisely?"

"You're not using alchemy against them."

"Oh, sure, watch me."

"No killing on my watch."

"I never kill if I can avoid it. Not anymore."

"You're a blind flamethrower. I wouldn't bet on that. Don't move." Edward shouted "HEY! Hey, guys!"

He was answered by a new burst of gunfire.

"Fullmetal!" Roy frantically felt around until he caught Ed's trouser leg. "Stay put --"

"Let go of me! HEY GUYS!"

"For fuck's sake, Ed --"

"Shut! Up!" Edward walked away from him. "Guys, maybe you don't want to annoy us too much. See, my friend, here --"

"He's the flame alchemist!"

"He's killed our family, and now we're going to kill him! Give him to us and we'll let you go."

Roy's insides twisted. The voices sounded very young indeed. He was opening his mouth to answer, anything, when Ed kicked him in the ribs.

He was lucky he used his right foot. Ouch.

Fullmetal was right. Maybe it wasn't his time to speak.

"Haven't you heard your elders --"

"Fuck the elders. If they want to mingle with the enemy, fine for them. Death awaits the collaborators as well as the perpetrators."

"Kids, we --"

"We're not kids! Not anymore! We want his head, now!"

"You've heard of the Flame Alchemist, kids, alright. You even know what he looks like. You know who I am?"

"We don't care. Give him to us, now."

Ed's foot nudged Roy.

"When I hit you next," Edward spoke from between his teeth, "you clap and make me a weapon. Scary one. I just want to freak them out."

"Right," Roy got his hands ready, frenetically thinking about what he could pull from the ground that could make a good weapon, that would also be scary. Wait, if it needed to be scary, then he wouldn't need it to be a good weapon, right?

"Ever heard of the Fullmetal Alchemist?"

The kids didn't answer immediately.

"Prove it!"

Ed shoved his foot into Roy's ribs again, and Roy clapped, hearing the kid clap just a split second later. Time for the static to subdue, Ed's feet sounded against the dry soil, two steps. There was a high pitched sound as he picked the weapon Roy had thought to make.

"Wanna fight?"

"We have guns."

Their voice was less assured, now. Edward was walking, probably towards them.

"You think I can't deflect them with my all powerful alchemy? Look at this! I could probably slaughter you from here. You don't want to see how good I am."

Ah, Fullmetal knew how to brag, alright.

He seemingly kept walking, until a scurry of running feet sounded, running away from them.

"We'll come back when you're alone, Flame Alchemist. We'll catch you, tie you up and burn you!"

"It's all you deserve!"

The shouted threats were drawing away.

"Go help rebuilding, kids! Killing him won't solve anything!" Edward yelled at them.

Roy couldn't help but smile. Ed, too, was still a kid. A good one.

Silence fell again. Roy stayed put until Edward dragged his feet back next to him -- his left leg adding a characteristic sound he had learnt to notice.

"Obsidian? A fucking obsidian sword? You had nothing else?"

Ed grabbed Roy's hand and unceremoniously pulled him back on his feet.

The kid had strength.

"I wasn't working with much. What do you want me to do with silica --"

"Fuck, Colonel, you need to think outside the box. I could have pulled so much --"

"You're insane. If Riza learns about this --"

"I saved your fucking life, she will hear about it, believe me."

"Oh, and remind me who made the weapon?"

"It'd have broke as soon as I tried to slice anything with it! Come on!"

"You wanted to scare them. A black blade --"

"Whatever would have scared them." Ed's voice dropped. "They were barely fourteen. Not an age to hold guns."

"Rich, coming from you, Fullmetal," Roy said, his expression, he hoped, betraying his words.

"I never used guns," Edward snickered.

.

If you've read until here thank you ! Feel free to send me prompts while AO3 is down 🥲

[onekisstotakewithme]

2023 Fic Masterlist

Happy New Year, everyone! I thought I'd do another yearly round-up of everything I wrote for M*A*S*H this year. It was, admittedly, a quieter year this year, but I still have some stories I'm pretty proud of. Enjoy!

Works in Progress (WIPs)

Close to the Heart (6/12 chapters posted) - “Anything close to the heart is risky.” One spring morning in 1952, Peg Hunnicutt walks into Hawkeye Pierce's office with one simple request: kill her husband. Noir AU (well, subverted noir AU), triad-ish. 23.5k so far.

into a gold and crimson graciousness of October (1/5 chapters posted) - A chance meeting in a Hannaford parking lot in the fall of 1955 leads to Donna being invited to spend Thanksgiving in Crabapple Cove. What she isn't expecting is that Charles will be there too. Sort-of sequel to 'younger in October than in all the months of spring; Charleshawk, Charles/Donna, Charles/Donna/Hawkeye. 5k so far.

BJ/Hawkeye/Peg

the best thing going - It looks like any other beach. Sun, sand, ocean... the only thing missing is the clothes. Written for the "M*A*S*H Fic Olympics", 1960s AU set at a nude beach. 5k.

As Years Unfurl - Ten years after the war ends, under the clock in Grand Central Station. Post-canon. 1.5k.

fire's burning (draw nearer) - A late-night conversation that Peg (mostly) isn't meant to hear. Post-canon, 1k.

Beejhawk

just can't stand another lonely night - Hawkeye walks in on BJ during R&R, and decides to offer him a hand. Canon-compliant, Smut, Touch-starved BJ. 3.3k.

its torment won't be through - “She hasn’t seen what this place does to good men. Never mind what it does to those of us that were rotten to start with.” Tag to "That's Show Biz". 2.6k

addressed to the fire - BJ writes a lot of letters, but he only sends some of them. (Or 5 times BJ doesn't send a letter, +1 time he does) Canon-compliant. Written for the "M*A*S*H Fic Olympics". 2.9k.

BJ/Peg

Aurora - She looks up, her heart beating hard against her ribcage, and then, like the sun breaking over the horizon, she sees him. Tag to "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen." 2k.

Perfect - It’s going to be perfect, if she has anything to say about it. She owes it to BJ, to put the past two anniversaries behind them, to come out of the dark night hand in hand, stronger and still together. Peg and BJ's first anniversary after Korea. 2.5k.

Sunshine & Orange Blossoms - Sunshine and the smell of oranges, the smell of home. Written for the "M*A*S*H Fic Olympics". 2k.

Other/Gen

Welcome to Korea... Again - Twenty years after the end of the Korean War, Hawkeye and the other members of the 4077th MASH reunite in Korea. Post-canon. Featured in the M*A*S*H 50th Anniversary Fanzine. 2.5k.

The Flying Dutchman of the Pusan Perimeter - Later, he’ll hear the stories of tonight in hospitals across Japan and Korea, told as ghost stories. Steve Newsome-centric fic. Written for the "M*A*S*H Fic Olympics." 1.6k.

Something Good - “What’s your something good?” “Huh?” “I mean, you know, we’re not the Plaza, but hey we’re not all bad. There’s gotta be something good about this place. Of course, I haven’t found it yet.” BJ & Hawkeye friendship fic. Tag to "Letters". 1.3k.

[volfoss]

Leaving it up to Tumblr to choose my next comic chronology in like... 2 months when I'm free of green lantern (2 months is not very generous I fear)

Reasoning under the cut :3 (very long)

Duke- pretty short (less than 200 issues), I really like his character from what I've seen of him. I think it will also be hell (as is the nature of most batman adjacent chronologies) but it'll be worth it... Nice and short one and also swag character

Jefferson- 1. Black lightning is very fun early on and 2. I've already made the spreadsheet so I just have to read it. He's just like... A very cool character and I like him a lot so far. I just am gods scaredest soldier with long chronos (which his isn't too bad but it's ALSO batman adjacent and those are so scary)

Barbara - my best friend Babs but also if I have to reread the killing joke I AM killing Alan Moore ok. In theory I love her SOOOO much. In practice I think the fact I'm having to keep a "how bad is the disability rep" counter next to each issue says a lot. Unfortunately. Also already made this spreadsheet but I think it would be a very bad and good time.

Clint- again in theory would be fun. He seems right up my alley but alas if I have to see Tony Stark I do fly into a blind rage. And unfortunately I think he appears a lot... And also unfortunately I think I would suffer due to blonde man disorder ok (as I always do)

Silhouette+Aaron- package deal bc they're siblings. I've already started this one and then stopped because whoever is writing the early stuff SHOULD go to hell for what they're doing. For those unfamiliar, silhouette is one of the only heroes I've ever seen using forearm crutches (pretty awesome) and her power is that she can kind of travel via shadow iirc? Which would be really cool if they didn't like... Make her lose all her clothes and mobility aids when she's doing this. Which is why I quit. But she's very very cool minus that (and in my mind... I know she's written better later on) and her brother is his own can of worms (in... Definitely a way). In theory tho I rly gotta get through their stuff

Theodore - first off: I am a FIEND for marvel 70s horror comics. Second off: he is better than swamp thing. Third off: his big red eyes. But to be serious though like .. the Steve Gerber and Gerry Conway era of man thing is SO good and like .. political in an interesting way. I just need motivation to get around to it. Also he's cutesy ok!!!

Jason Blood- another consequence of the 70s horror era fan but this guy has CRAZY lore. He's a medieval knight who got possessed by a demon thanks to Merlin and then he's just lived through the centuries and become an occult guy. Reasons why I stopped this one - sometimes old horror comics are bad and horrible. And also a like 60 issue Garth Ennis written series. But I do really wanna finish his stuff bc he's like .. DC's version of Hellstrom (which. Genuinely awesome character, if you're interested in older horror comics def check his original run out <- my plug for my silly husband hellstrom who sucks so much or whatever. He's rly good tho seriously)

Jennifer - I've already made her spreadsheet and started it but the writers are soooo fucking bad most of the time. It's actually horrific. Pros for her- pretty good character when written well (her hellcat series stuff was REALLY nice for me. But I'll always hype up patsy walker aka hellcat at any chance) cons for her- the misogyny ... And my reward for finishing it is watching the she hulk show. So take that as you will

Dracula- I started his stuff bc I was PROMISED Gerry Conway (who is like.. one of my top 5 writers. He does amazing old horror comics and made a bunch of very cool characters). And then he left like 2 issues in and it went downhill. Some of the same authors who did some of the good (other marvel vampire who is redacted for my own safety ok) issues did stuff for drac. In theory this would be silly campy 70s horror comics fun. In practice oh my god I am gaining new authors to hate so bad...

[co-mixed]

Your Favorite Characters Will Never be Perfect in Movies.

Remember how Hawkeye was nothing like in the comics? Or how Rogue never even encountered Gambit on screen? Or how the whole Titans show did its own thing? 

And are you one of those people who can’t help but mention that this-is-not-how-it-happened-in-the-comics? Yeah, I used to be one too. 

In my case, it was enough to part with my expectations for the things I’ve already seen to realize what I’m missing by dismissing (I swear I’m not freestyling here.) But there’s more to it than just working on my own hopes and dreams. There is a reason (a few in fact) why we don’t see page-to-page adaptations. 

Where do I begin?

I’m trying hard to get into DC and the aforementioned Titans only pushed me closer to it (yeah meet another show I absolutely love now). But what stops me every time is issue number 1000+. I have time and I’m a patient lady but I won’t start something I can’t hope to finish. Both Action and Detective comics are over 1k issues long. I’m not sure I have time for that. But I’d love to get to know the characters and so would many others. Lucky for us, each one of them gets an origin story and if you’re lazy, a dedicated segment in an encyclopedia of their respective universe. Movies and shows aren’t that. They always have room for improvement and a fresh look. What they don’t have to do is retell an old, sometimes outdated ~30-page arc. Been there done that. Take me someplace new. 

The Power of a Retcon

Name a character who's never gotten a retcon. I’ll wait. If the first name that pops up is someone who has 10 pages of panel time before being cast off into the roster oblivion, we’re thinking alike. Most prominent characters have had their origin replayed and rewritten. No matter what the reasons were (sometimes it’s just lazy writing), you can always count on at least 3 different ways the character discovered their powers. Now which one do we take to screen? The latest? The fan favorite? Can’t please everyone. Besides, sometimes writers gotta work with a whole different universe (Hey ya, MCU). No one illustrates this better than Wanda and Pietro. And if anything, it’s our weird attraction to canon that caused them to be disowned by Magneto (correction - he never disowned them but it was revealed that he’s not their bio parent, although he reclaimed them back as his own eventually). 

There are a few characters and types of characters for whom it’s important to keep their origin intact. In my opinion, one of them is mutants but even comics have been messing it up for a long time now (looking at you, artist formerly known as Apocalypse!)

With so many changes how do we even trace a character back to their origins? It’s really easier to capture their general sense and role.

Crisis on Every Earth

We get retcons in the main timeline but how about all the other ones? Remember how Marvel went ahead and built a whole Ultimate Universe? Gotta say I loved the experiment even with its shortcomings. And I’d love to see more of that (just give me a high-school Evolution-style AU already!) Oh and then Nick Fury and Spidey became so wildly popular- they made it to movies and 616 respectively, remember? That’s kind of the point. The versions of the characters we know and love aren’t always necessarily the best ones. But we won’t find out unless we give them a fair shot. And I’m all for that.

And if you already have a version you like then what are you actually losing by getting a new one? You’ve read them and you’ve seen them.

Too Many Cooks 

To build upon the previous paragraph, all characters have their creators and then they have dozens of other people who took their turn at writing them. Now which one did it best is quite a question (the best example will always be the X-men although let’s face it, they’re a team). The thing here is, under a new writer every character picks up new traits. There’s a huge difference between the original take, a take from the 90s, and whatever is going on now. Again, it comes down to personal preferences and the story you choose to tell. 

To change or not to change

That, and what to change exactly. Every character can essentially be boiled down to several qualities that you shouldn’t change no matter what. The rest is flexible. 

Yes, for some characters it’s their signature look that can’t be altered (but that’s far less common than most people want to admit). For most though it’s their values or a specific origin or their role in a team. Just because we don’t expect it doesn’t mean it doesn’t work. 

The question of what exactly you can and should change, now this is a fun one. 

What works on paper doesn’t always fit into a frame. Like Superman’s questionable habit of wearing underwear as a top layer of clothing. Sure it works for a campy version but the truth is, he could look however the hell he likes as long as he’s a humanoid. His origin and personal traits are what makes him Superman. But depending on the story you wanna tell, you can change whatever and it will work for me. 

Toys and Sandboxes

Every character is shaped by decades of writing (good and bad). Events get added and erased but even if you get the origin right, the character won’t go through the same things as in comics. That is, unless you’re planning on retelling every story (I’m sure you aren’t.) Every slightest change of events will make them grow apart from their og version. By the second movie, it’s already a different AU version. That’s exactly what AUs are for. Exploring options, using opportunities. 

Our vision of characters always ties to when and where we see them for the first time. With our favorites it speaks to how much they resonate with us. And truth be told, that’s not always their originally intended personality (or look). I’ll go into DC, having a few expectations of my own, same as I watched the X-men movies with a clear vision of their characters. But teenage Jean Grey will never have the memories of teenage time displaced Jean, and  og teenage Jean was absolutely replaceable by a cardboard cutout. 

So there it is, something I will be holding on to when I finally go to see MCU’s take on mutants. And something we all should consider before judging any casting. 

[youngpettyqueen]

MASH for the fandom ask

MASH my beloved my cinnamon apple I know im on a Trek kick rn but MASH still takes up an absurd amount of real estate in my brain

The first character I first fell in love with: Hawkeye <3 imprinted on him, like, immediately. also realized very quickly that oh he has my sense of humour cause my dad learned HIS sense of humour from Hawkeye. this man has been influencing my family and me since before I was born

The character I never expected to love as much as I do now: Charles!! I did not think I was going to be super into Charles. when he came in I figured he'd just be Frank's replacement and would be about as one note as Frank had become, and man am I happy I was wrong. such a compelling character with fantastic episodes, great arcs, and of course how can you resist DOS and his show-stealing acting

The character everyone else loves that I don’t: I want to establish that I do very much like Mulcahy but he is probably my least favourite of the main cast just by default. his episodes are very repetitive and his character growth never really sticks unfortunately. again, I do like him a lot, but I dont get the really intense love others have for him. no judgement! I love that he has a dedicated part of the fandom!

The character I love that everyone else hates: Frank like yes he's horrible and he sucks but as a character I love him. as an antagonist I love him. I wish he hadn't become such a one note character by his last season, because he had some genuinely great moments and deserved a lot better writing-wise. Larry Linville did a fantastic job with the character he's just so delightful to watch

The character I used to love but don’t any longer: again gotta preface by saying I still like this character a lot but Potter. I loved him a lot in my first watch, but on rewatch I wasn't as invested in him. dont get me wrong, I still like him, I still find him compelling, but he ushers in that softening of that anti-military stance in MASH so that takes some of my love for his character away. ive written a whole thing on how I read him and why he compels me with all his flaws so I won't restate it

The character I would totally smooch: I need Margaret like I need air. also Trapper, Klinger, and Hawkeye, and Kellye, and Margie, and-

The character I’d want to be like: in a lot of ways I'd love to be like Hawkeye. in a lot of ways I already am like Hawkeye, but he has a sureness and a confidence that I don't (yet) when it comes to how he interacts with people, and I wish I was as courageous

The character I’d slap: Frank <3

A pairing that I love: I'd be here forever if I listed all of em so I'll say the big ones on the brain rn which are Charleshawk and Houlihawk

A pairing that I despise: Radar/Hawkeye it weirds me out. I really dont like it.

[organchordsandlightning]

for the ask game... 9??

from the fanfic writer ask game

9. What’s your favorite line(s) or scene(s) that you have written?

it's funny, I was trying to think of what constituted 'favorites' and I thought of two different categories.

There's technical aspects I'm fond of: I try to include a lot of humor in my writing, and what I like best in the whole wide blue world is to make something funny while being a little bit sad. (from Catacomb Killer, Disco Elysium: here, Harry is in a half-dream, half-memory with his ex-fiance, Dora, while chasing down a potential child serial killer. A big point of this scene is that Dream!Dora does not want to be forgotten, only because Real Life Harry does not want to forget her. Ultimately, he chooses in this scene to leave his dream ex-fiance and rejoin his new partner, with the understanding that he won't ever forget Dora, not really.)

YOU – “Well, knowing me… I’ll drop by your metaphorical grave and bring flowers, from time to time. I’m not perfect.” DORA INGERLUND – “That’s fine. Sweet of you, even. Do you know what a memory’s favorite flowers are?” LOGIC [Hard: Failure] – You do not. DORA INGERLUND – She grins. “Forget-me-nots.”

(from i'm afraid to come home in the dark, MASH, WIP: post-suicide attempt, Captain Hawkeye Pierce is kept in a psychiatric institution [with all the fantastic, forward thinking care you can expect from the 1950s state hospitals]. Hawkeye Pierce is a surgeon and a terrible patient, with a penchant for cracking wise when he really shouldn't and insisting that he is absolutely fine.

this passage I'm particularly fond of because (a) it highlights Hawkeye's repetition when he gets stressed and the tape player in his mind starts to bunch up ['you know'], (b) Hawkeye gets to use a medical term *and* get a dig at the Army, and (c) in what other scenario do I get to make a medical-foot-tapping-pulse-rate pun?

“Do you gotta count how many times I tap my foot?” Hawkeye asked quizzically. The doc had been quiet for the better part of five minutes. This conversation was going long, as visits went. “Because you know, I gotta keep track of that sort of thing. For pulse, you know. You count for fifteen seconds and multiply by four to get their heart rate. It’s a beautiful marvel of efficiency. I wonder who invented it. Probably the Army.” If there was anything he really hated about this place, it was that it made him feel crazy. What doctor didn’t talk when they were spoken to? This man, with his stuffy hair and glasses, was barely looking up from his paperwork. “Am I looking low, doc? High? A little tappy-cardia on this fine evening? You know,” he said, tilting back in his chair.

secondly, looking back on things, I'm always really fond of scenes that are just particularly vivid in my head. Whether it's something I've planned the whole scene around or just popped up as I was writing, I'm always able to exactly remember how I intend the scene to look/feel.

(from third time's the charm, Malevolent, WIP: Arthur and Parker are in hospital, Arthur is on his very first detective case. For Undisclosed Plot Reasons, Parker has told Arthur to go home, misguidedly thinking that things have gotten too intense for him and he doesn't want to put Arthur in any more danger. Arthur disagrees.)

Parker’s lips twisted again. He reached up to press a few strands of his hair back into place. Almost immediately, they fell forward across his forehead. His eyes studied Arthur, and he couldn’t shake the feeling that Parker could see straight through his body to his stuttering heart. “Something happened to you, Mr. Lester,” Parker said. To his stuttering heart, indeed.  Parker gave a turn on his heel, continued his walk down the hallway. His words echoed. “Something bad.”

[quartzwriting]

Warm The Lonely Night

Pairing: Kate Bishop X Fem Reader (no y/n)

Description: Kate has been through a lot in the past few days, but she still makes time to bring you your Christmas gift. Why? Cause she’s gotta tell you that she likes you.

Warnings: small spoilers for Hawkeye, slight mention of the cuts on Kate’s face

Word Count: 1.8 k

A/N: I’m in love with Kate and Hailee like ugh, also this is my first time writing for a girl. I’m so happy its her cause I’m in love! She’s too beautiful. Title inspired by the song Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You.

Part of my DEC 2021 HOLIDAY MASTERLIST

Masterlist | Fic Reading Recs | Ao3 | Quotev | Coffee

Clint had called her just minutes before she found herself in this position. He asked where she was, the tone of a dad coming through the speaker. She said she was at her aunt’s place, where she was supposed to be. He was not convinced. She tried again and said she was just out to get some things from her mom’s pent house, some of her old arrows and a few changes of clothes. Clint still did not sound convinced, warning her not to get into trouble. She hung up with a huff and shoved her phone into a pocket.

Kate was currently scaling a New York apartment building, holding onto nothing but the rails of a narrow fire escape. The wind blew strong and snowfall threatened to blur her vision. She counted the floors as she went. As the numbers increased and the higher she went, the more the feeling in her stomach ached. The feeling was not from a fear of heights or the fear of being spotted climbing up the side of a building. It was more complicated than that.

There were a few levels left. Something in her dreaded it, the building suspense as she was getting closer and closer. The knot churning and tightening in her stomach was making her sick. Kate did not want to admit it, but she was nervous. So nervous that a hand frequently hovered over another pocket, making sure she did not drop the box inside. 

The thought of the neatly wrapped gift slipping out and tumbling down between the metal bars and plummeting to the street below was terrifying. Not due to the fact that it was expensive. She could easily replace it any day. But it was for someone special. Someone who she missed in the past few days, who she was not able to call or message properly due to the strange circumstances she had gotten thrown into. So she did not want to delay this any further. She had to deliver it now while she had the time. 

She came to the last level she needed to climb, and found herself in front of the target window. The light was on. She took a deep breath and ran a hand through her wind-messed hair. Her hands were shaking, from the cold or how she was feeling inside she couldn’t tell. The nerves felt like they were shooting through her body and they trickled out all the way to her fingertips. She shook out her limbs.

“I’m fine,” she mumbled in a voice that only made sense in her own head, “everything’s fine. It’s just the girl who’s your friend but you’ve had a crush on for the longest time. It’s fine. Do I look fine? I just climbed a freaking building.”

She tried to catch her reflection in the curtained window. One last smooth of her hair and she breathed deeply. Now or never. She pushed down the voice that was screaming at her to panic and turn around. 

“You’ve got this, Kate.”

The knock on your bedroom window had scared the life out of you. Your head snapped in its direction and stared at the closed curtains, not daring to move. You were thinking that you might have imagined it. But no. There was the knock again, frantically rapping on the glass in an anxious tone. 

You might have screamed or ran out of your room, but the sound of her voice calling your name stopped you. Immediately putting your book down, you got up from your desk and rushed over. And when you pulled back the curtains there she was. 

Kate Bishop had this blank look of suspense before it broke into a genuine smile. “Hi!” Her hair was a bit of a mess, it continuing to be tussled by the breeze. There were snowflakes sticking to it as well, bright and big chunks slowly melting into the dark locks. They reminded you of her eyes, shining blue against her dark lashes, the ones you found yourself lost in sometimes. 

You instantly slid the window open, the winter chill blowing the curtains and your hair astray. 

“Kate! Where the hell have you been? You haven’t texted me or answered any of my calls!”

“I know, I’m sorry. I’ve been busy.” She said it naturally, like it was nothing.

“What did you do?” You reached out and put your hands on her cheeks. You examined her face, noticing the bandaged cuts and specks of blood around her forehead and chin. There was a blush from the freezing cold that seemed to get darker by the second. The kind look in her eyes that you knew too well that said don’t worry about me was there too. “Get in here!”

You grabbed her hand, feeling how cold her gloved fingers were. She tumbled in ungracefully, the bow that was strapped to her back catching on the window frame and making her stumble. She tracked a little snow on your carpet, which was the least of your worries.

“It’s winter in New York and you’re just in this?” You gestured to her purple sweater, the one you knew she went on her little archery adventures in. 

“Well, it’s not exactly winter until the twenty first...which is tomorrow...” she softly remarked.

You helped her put down her bow and arrows before pulling her over to sit on the edge of your bed. You grabbed a throw blanket and draped it over her shoulders. She kept herself busy by stripping off her boots with cold fingers. While she did that, you went over to grab the mug on your desk that was full of hot tea. You praised yourself with deciding to boil water and make a mug just five minutes ago. You handed it to her and she thanked you, feeling the steam warm her face.

“What have you been up to?” You said with worry. Sitting with her, you reached out to run your hands through her hair. You combed it with your fingers, making it fall back into its pretty waves neatly. A smile tugged at her lips, one you almost missed.

She blew on the tea and took a tiny sip before answering, “That’s a long story. And I can’t stay long, I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s alright,” you then paused, “I’ve actually been feeling a little lonely. I’m glad you came.”

Her eyebrows furrowed and she frowned. She shifted a little closer to you and threw an arm around you in a hug. Your arms wrapped around her under the blanket and your cheek nuzzled itself into her cold hair. She really hoped that you could not feel the heavy pound of her heartbeat. It thumped so hard in her chest and in her neck. 

“Really I would have checked in on you earlier but something came up. It’s really important. But I’m here now. And I came to give you this.”

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a little box. There was a cute little bow on it, covered in Christmas colours. 

“Merry Christmas.”

“Kate, you didn’t have to.”

“I already did, so too bad.” She smiled, looking smug now. She sipped her tea and watched you over the top of the mug. 

You delicately unraveled the ribbon and opened the little box. Underneath a little layer of tissue paper there was a crystal necklace. Deep purple amethyst carved into the shape of a tiny heart, outlined by tiny diamond-like crystals.

“Kate, this is beautiful.”

“Silver chain, Swarovski crystals, and a high grade amethyst. It reminded me of you.”

“What’s with you and purple?” You joked.

“That’s not important.”

She put the mug down on your nightstand and turned to face you with her body. The colour on her face was deeper now. You took the box from your hands and carefully pulled out the necklace with gentle fingertips. She moved your hair to the side, her still warming hands tickling your neck a little with a chill. She clasped it on you, adjusting it so the crystal was centered.

“This better not have been expensive.”

“Shhhhh!”

You giggled, “I love it!” 

“Something to keep me with you. So you’re not always so lonely.”

You smiled so brightly it made her smile too. 

“And one more thing...” she stopped before clearing her throat, “can I tell you something?”

“You can tell me anything.”

It looked like she was struggling to get words out. Then she took a deep breath and reached for your hand. They shook in yours. 

“I-I like you. A lot. I can’t stop thinking of you. I-I’ve never felt like this for a girl before...” She paused.

You squeezed her hands.

“It kinda scares me... also the fact that you’re my friend and I don’t want to wreak that. But I really just wanted to get it off my chest.”

She was now speaking quickly, almost passionately.

“These past few days have been so crazy and I’m so sorry you feel lonely a lot. I don’t want you ever to feel like that. I care too much about you. I like you so much. And it’s okay if you don’t-”

You just had to cut her off by grabbing her face and kissing her. The urge was too strong, something you wanted to do for so long and you finally had an excuse to. She felt tense, like she was hesitant to kiss back. But she slowly did, moving her lips in tune with your lead. 

“Oh my God,” she breathed in shock.

“Shut up and kiss me, Kate.”

And she did just that. One hand flew to your waist and the other to the back of your head. There was little space left between the two of you. She let go, all the feelings that were bottled up and making her doubt herself all gone. All she knew in that moment was you and finally feeling how your lips felt against hers. 

She broke the kiss and looked you in the eyes, the smile on her face too precious, “Soon you won’t be so lonely. I promise when this is all over I’m coming over and we’re gonna have a Christmas night in. We’ll have hot coco and watch Christmas movies and make cookies and do whatever you want.” She was holding you tenderly, the hand at your hair coming down to stroke your cheek. 

You leaned into her touch, “I would love that.”

“Me too,” she kissed you again. 

“Stay with me till you’re warm.”

“I absolutely will.”

And she did. You both kissed more and cuddled under the small throw blanket while she told you the story of what was going on with her, all starting with the incident with the clock tower. The look on your face blossomed with so much worry as she went on and on and on. But she kissed it all off your face, reassuring you that she could take care of herself. 

Part Two later in the month